I can come to your library, book club meeting, or conference to talk about how to help your readers find their next good read. Click here for more information including RA for All's EDI Statement and info about WHY I LOVE HORROR.
As I have mentioned before on this blog, Kelly Jensen has been the only journalist in America covering the assault on our intellectual freedom that has been happening in our libraries (of all types). Full stop. She is not the only person engaged in this fight, but she is the only one chronicling it as a journalist.
I encourage all of you to read this report. Whether you are a regular follower of Jensen's coverage or have barely paid attention (and every where in-between), please take some time to look at the chaotic and terrifying times we have all been living through. This report gives us all the chance to take a step back (even as we are still deep in it) and try to understand the last 5 years.
There will be no weekly link roundup today–a double roundup will land next week. Instead, this week’s Literary Activism post is dedicated to a report pulled together by the collaborative efforts of Kelly Jensen (Book Riot), Tasslyn Magnusson, Sarah Lamdan (American Library Association), Stephana Ferrell (Florida Freedom to Read Project), and Arielle Haughee (Freedom to Read Project), as well as dozens of right to read champions nationwide. This report reflects on five years of escalating book censorship, including challenges, opportunities, and successes. It does not cover prison censorship during this period; that will be addressed in a future piece.
I normally would not post to everyone about an in person event, rather I would just post it on this page (available on the top of the right gutter of every page of the blog). However, this one is not only HUGE but it is also available for free virtually.
This event is the launch for the NYPL's 2nd annual Best Horror of the Year list for 2026 and it is featuring me in conversation with three of the authors appearing on that list-- Deena Helm, Kailee Pedersen, and Saratoga Schaefer. And BONUS-- Pedersen is also an opera singer and she will give a live performance as well. All of this is free in person (tickets limited) and Online to anyone, anywhere.
But I do want to back up a bit to talk about the reason we are having this event-- the release of the NYPL's 2nd annual Best Horror of the Year list for 2026. I bolded 2nd because this is a big deal.
Last year, as part of my book tour, I appeared at NYPL with Grady Hendrix, Rachel Harrison, Clay McLeod Chapman, and Victor LaValle. (Details and photos can be accessed here). As part of that event, NYPL staff asked if they could use the event to unveil their first annual Best Horror list.
The launch was such a success (standing room only at the event) that they asked if I would come back and moderate their panel every year, to make it a big event on its own WITHOUT my book and it's authors. I readily agreed because this is a cause for celebration.
The fact that NYPL allowed an official Horror Best List to even happen is amazing. I need you all to understand that in these big libraries, there are a lot of hoops to jump through (because there have to be), and to get Horror to this "Best" level, something they have invested staff time in and actual dollars paid to the presenters, this is something I could have never dreamed of back in 2004 when my first book came out, when all I was doing why trying to justify to libraries what they HAD to have horror books and help horror readers.
Let's all enjoy this moment of celebrating what NYPL has deemed the best horror of 2026. And finally, let's keep our fingers crossed that we get to do it again in 2027. I have already blocked my calendar.
Here at Goodreads, our editorial team spends a lot of time looking at books. Literally looking at them. We’ve discovered that if you take in thousands of book cover designs, day after day, you can enter a kind of fugue state where you start noticing distinct design patterns. After about the 20th time of turning to one another and saying some variation of “What’s with all the [insert object] on book covers lately?” we decided to gather up the visual trends we’ve noted in book cover designs this year for our collective pondering. These are all books published or publishing in 2026, which makes the whole hive mind aspect of the trends even eerier. Is there a larger pattern here? Is the universe trying to tell us something by way of commercial publishing trends? DO THE CIRCLES MEAN ANYTHING? No one knows. But it sure is fun to talk about. Still, if you decode anything interesting, use the Want to Read button to track and arrange your own digital bookshelf. Have fun! Stay sane!
And that last point is one of the reasons I am reposting this article for all of you to see. I love that this article considers books across all genres. These are trends that are crossing genre lines and being used to attract readers full stop. In past years we saw these types of posts for a specific genre or age level, but to see the trends all together is a visual reminder that genre designations are only one tool readers can use to find the right book for them.
As I write about in my "judge a book by its cover" post, covers can tell readers a lot about the appeal of the story to come. When we see cover trends cross genre it reminds readers and those of us who help them that no one genre has a monopoly on an appeal factors. Lots of genres can have titles that are gritty or cozy or spooky or insert appeal factor here. We are so quick to draw hard lines between genres when in reality, fiction written in the same era is more connected than we want to believe. And those hard lines we draw around are genres, well they are actually way more fluid than you all want to admit. Maybe seeing these cover trends crossing genres will help you, the library worker, think a little more outside the box when recommending titles you your patrons.
Now of course, sometimes the covers are totally useless when it comes to the story's appeal and are simply being used to capitalize on the trend and trick readers into trying the book. But here's the thing, even if the cover promises something that the story cannot deliver on, the reader who tried it, might still find a story they love and connect with after reading it.
Covers matter. People will always judge books by their covers. Publishers work hard on their covers to attract readers. Trends in covers are something you need to pay attention to. Click here to read more about 6 current cover trends.
This article is important to all of us who serve leisure readers because it gives us the perspective we need to see how it began and where we are now. You want to know why we serve leisure readers at the public library? You want to see how we did it before and how it has improved (for the better) now? You want to understand why in a world full of anxiety, bad news, existential dread, and attacks at the intellectual freedom to all, why we keep going doing this work of match readers with the right book for them? All of this....you want to know why please read this article.
But for me specifically, I am posting this after I just spent 24 hours observing Yom Kippur, a holiday which is all about personal reflection. I spent the past 24 hours in serious contemplation of myself, my choices, and specifically where joy and meaning overlap in my life. Thinking about how I have spent the past 26 years deeply invested in promoting and supporting the work of Readers' Advisory from so many angles, where that has taken me, how I have helped to move all of us forward, and how I can be involved in continuing this work, this all took up a chunk of this reflection time (as it does every year).
I saved Wyatt's article to read yesterday on purpose. not only because I knew I would have the time to give it, but also because it is a day about making space for what is important, so I had the space to reflect on the article and RA's place in my life.
Who I am is not what I do, but what I choose to do for my professional life and how I do that work the best way I can is important to my life.
I am happy to share this with all of you today. Even if you do not have a login, you can still read it. If you have a problem accessing it, please contact me.
The invention of a service to aid readers is a hallmark of the library profession. For a century and a half, LJ has provided a thinking and writing space to librarians engaged in crafting its standards and exploring its practice
There are many ways to consider the past, present, and future of readers’ advisory (RA) service. It is embedded in the profession of librarianship, tied to the creation of subject headings and library design, traceable through library technology, and woven into the long history of library education and service. It is also central to book publishing and reading culture. As LJ marks its 150th anniversary, this history can be traced across the volumes
of the journal as well, reflecting the work of the librarians who developed RA service and manifested its modern practice and innovation—both on the desk and in the pages of LJ.
All thought out this past week, the National Book Foundationreleased their long lists for the National Book Award, one list per day, ending with Fiction yesterday. Along with my usual reminder to use these lists and their backlists especially to help patrons in a variety of ways, I want to point out the breadth of categories for this award.
Because it has categories in Fiction, Nonfiction, Translated Literature, Poetry, and Young People's literature, the National Book Award can help an extremely wide range of readers by default.
As a resource, these longlists are extremely useful because of the work put in by the (human) staff at the National Book Foundation. Each category has an entire page that summarizes all of the nominees, even drawing connections between titles. These pages not only give us the longlist titles but also put them in context. This is work that cannot be replaced by AI and I am so grateful for it each and every year.
They also cap off each article for each category with a statement about the number of books that were considered and who the judges for that category are. Here are the direct links to those pages for 2026:
However, it is not just the range of categories, the nominees in these long lists are also among the most accesible of titles nominated for major awards. The fiction and nonfiction titles, as usual, are solid suggestions for a general audience, they are NOT overly literary or obtuse. And as usual the translated titles are excellent options, especially as interest in translated titles grow and our resources are not keeping up.
From top to bottom, the books listed here (click honorees at the top of the page to reveal the lists and judges) should be owned by every public library and handed out frequently to general readers.
The book is pennies away from earning out its advance after less than a year which I am so thankful to all of you for. Thank you for buying WHY I LOVE HORROR and adding it to your collections. I am blown away by the support. I know that Saga is printing a new edition with the Bram Stoker Award Winner badge on it and at the end of October, it is up for a World Fantasy award as well. Along with the Locus Award nomination, that is three major awards singling out this book, and that is way beyond my wildest dreams for this book.
Join the Astoria Bookshop and Creature Publishing for A MONDAY NIGHT CREATURE FEATURE, highlighting the best in intersectional feminist horror and indie publishing at QED ASTORIA. Find out your witch's Dirty name, build a body-horror friend to love, win a prize in our costume contest, and more!
Stoker Award-winner (and future Creature author) RJ Joseph will emcee the evening, presiding over horror-fied games and conversation with an absolutely killer lineup of Your Favorite Horror Writers’ Favorite Horror Writers:
I am very excited to get to meet Brenda LaTorre in person as she is my featured interview in the October issue of LJ.
Next up, I am back at NYPL to help them unveil their 2026 Best Horror List. This event is not on their website yet but I can confirm that I will be moderating a conversation with some of the authors whose books are appearing on this year's best list on Tuesday, October 6th at 6pm at the 53rd Street Library (right near MOMA). We will have conversation, a special musical performance, and The Twisted Spine will be selling books by the authors and Why I Love Horror. There will be a signing as well.
Between those 3 NYC events, I hope to see many of you there. If you can only come to the Creature event 10/5 but you bring one of my books, I will sign it for you.
I will be at Danville (IL) public library next week with Grady Hendrix if you are closer to that event. There is no preregistration for this event. Details are on my appearance page or here. Last week, Paul Tremblay and I had a great time meeting everyone at Springfield-Greene County (MO) library as well.
And if you can't make some of my in person appearances, I will be doing a few virtual events that are open to everyone. Click here to see them on my appearance page including a virtual appearance 2 weeks from today. Spots limited to 100 people online.
And then, the biggest news of all-- it's almost time for 31 Days of Horror over on the other blog! I have a great collection of Why I Love Horror blog contributors lined up, an indie publisher spotlight, the regular focus on the Horror resources you can use all year long, plus plenty more surprises, and so many giveaways.
I will cross post here and on the horror blog 10/1, but we are exactly 2 weeks away and I wanted to remind you that I will be here, like always, to help you through the spooky season.
I hope to connect with you in person, virtually, or through the blog this Spooky Season.
If you want me to do a virtual event for you this Fall, reach out. I may still have some room.
Since I am giving this program 3x this week (including 2x today), I thought it was a good time to repost the current version here.
From Becky's Most Popular Programs descriptions:
Demystifying Genre:Nothing is scarier than trying to help a fan of a genre you yourself don’t enjoy. You want to help that, for example, Romance reader, find the perfect book, but you are having trouble knowing where to begin because...eek!... you don’t read Romance. You are afraid they will find out you are a fraud. How can YOU possibly help THEM?!? Don’t fret. In this program, Readers’ Advisory expert, Becky Spratford, will teach you the basic appeals of the major genres, give you the inside track on what a fan of that genre is most drawn to, and provide you with talking points to get your genres readers to tell you what they want. This program focuses on providing you with a diverse and inclusive list of up-to-date authors; only living authors will be discussed. You will leave this session with the confidence and skill to help fans of every genre, regardless of whether or not you have ever read a book in that genre yourself. And that will leave a trail of happy patrons in your wake.
In this program, I assess every genre and share what it is like right now. I do not include any dead authors and the trends I report on are both over time (25 years of following this closely) and based on the data from the year before.
It is a snapshot of each genre right now. But while I am giving the presentation virtually, I encourage everyone to share their favorite books in each genre in the chat, so that all versions of the genre are included.
I love creating this program because while I am interrogating the state of each genre, I also am able to see how all of the different genres are influencing others. And it is not just the books that are coming out, but how the readers are responding.
For example, I have seen Westerns almost die only to be revived by the genre and its writers actively expanding the definition of the genre and inviting more voices and stories in. While I watch psychological suspense change from a genre about serial killers written mostly by men into a genre about unreliable narrators written by mostly women. And I have watch the parallel rise of Horror and Gentle Reads both for the same reason (to escape turbulent reality).
I also now include Nonfiction cross over options for every genre.
I have also been able to track how trends with teens readers have moved to become trends for adult readers, which when you really think about it makes perfect sense because the readers age but they take their preferences with them. And I have been doing this for a full generation now, so of course the trends have aged up. Romance everything, speculative everything, the entire flip of the Psychological Suspense genre, these are just a few examples of this which I talk about when I give this presentation.
You can click here to see the most recent version of this program. While these slides are but half of the story I tell in this 90 minute presentation, they are text heavy including the main appeal factors, trends, and MANY book titles to get you started (covers on slide with the titles in the notes field).
If you want me to give this program for your library, system, or state, let me know.
If nothing else, it is fun to see if I can get through them all in 90 minutes. It is tough but I have done it in 75 minutes and once in 60 although that is NOT recommended for the audience or me.
It's LibraryReads day and that means four things here on RA for All
I post the list and tag it “Library Reads” so that you can easily pull up every single list with one click.
I can remind you that even though the newest list is always fun to see, it isthe older listswhere you can find AWESOME, sure bet suggestions for patrons that will be on your shelf to actually hand to them right now. The best thing about LibraryReads is the compound interest it is earning. We now have hundreds and hundreds of titles worth suggesting right at our fingertips throughthis archiveORthe sortable master list allowing you to mix and match however you want.
You have no excuse not to hand sell any LibraryReads titles because there is a book talk right there in the list in the form of the annotation one of your colleagues wrote for you. All you have to say to your patron is, “such and such library worker in blank state thought this was a great read,” and then you read what he or she said.
Every upcoming book now has at least 1 readalike that is available to hand out RIGHT NOW. Book talk the upcoming book, place a hold for it, and then hand out that readalike title for while they wait. If they need more titles before their hold comes in, use the readalike title to identify more readalike titles. And then keep repeating. Seriously, it is that easy to have happy, satisfied readers.
So get out there and suggest a good read to someone today. I don’t care what list or resource you use to find the suggestion, just start suggesting books.
Please rememberto click here for everything you need to know about how to participate.
An ode to how much libraries mean to those who need them. Hometown librarian Claire’s beloved library is in danger, as the board has deemed it irrelevant, and developers are waving money around. Anxious about the library's fate, Claire discovers a door that leads her to books containing patrons’ forgotten memories. As she pieces together a mystery of a broken friendship, she will also rediscover her own memories that the library has kept safe. With a whimsical yet compassionate storyline, this will appeal to library lovers as well as readers of deeply emotional stories.
--Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, TX
in, TX
NoveList read-alike: T he Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
Armstrong, Kelley
Dive Bar at the End of the Road
St. Martin's Press
10/6/2026
After an unavoidable accident, five strangers gather in a nearby bar to nurse their injuries and wait out the storm until morning. Soon they realize that the bar and surrounding woods are not as they seem, and they must work together to survive. An edge-of-your-seat horror by a beloved multi-genre author, this is a supernatural story not to be missed.
--Bree Dumont, Cleveland County Library System, OH
NoveList read-alike: The Midnight Knock by John Fram
Dawson, Delilah S.
Monstera
Titan Books
10/13/2026
When Lucy, a somewhat naïve young woman, moves into her dream apartment in Savannah, she is excited to be away from the iron rule of her grandfather and start a new life. What she does not expect is to become intrigued by her weightlifting, plant-loving neighbor, Saskia, a woman with a secret. Part horror, part romance, all intrigue, this is a sweet and sinister read.
--Terri Smith, Cornelia Library, GA
NoveList read-alike: On Sundays She Picked Flowers by Yah Yah Scholfield
Garmus, Bonnie
Peck & Peck: A Novel
Scribner
10/13/2026
Landing a job at a prestigious poetry quarterly seems like a dream come true for Batter Gray, a recent graduate with an ear for poetry, until he becomes privy to the secrets of the Peck brothers and their editors. A gorgeous, empathetic novel following a character seeking his place in the world.
--Jennifer Winberry, Hunterdon County Library, NJ
NoveList read-alike: Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer
Gayle, Amanda
Once, Again, Always
Avon
10/6/2026
Molly's having a bad day. She wakes up in the hospital and discovers she's forgotten six years of her life. And she's married to her high school nemesis. Molly is horrified, but her friends convince her to try. The couple grows closer again, but Molly may never regain her memory. Can they build a new life?
--Maddelyn Vanicell, Chicago Public Library, IL
NoveList read-alike: Thank You f or Remembering by Emily Harding
Kleypas, Lisa
Queen of Lombard Street
Avon
10/20/2026
With the help of a powerful British banker, Rena is determined to build a women-only bank where women can have control of their money. A novel, interesting plot make it worth a read, but it’s the nuanced and intriguing characters, based on real-life women, who really help this book shine. You will want to do more reading about these historic figures.
--Judy G Sebastian, Eastham Public Library, MA
NoveList read-alike: The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly
Maclean, Will
Solace House
Grove Atlantic
10/13/2026
A group of university students spending a summer fixing up an abandoned asylum are tasked with cleaning up an imposing house nearby. After they find the journals of the eccentric and reclusive previous owner, odd things begin to happen. An intricate story that reflects the concept of time existing all at once.
--Grace Kranz, Blue Earth County Library, MN
NoveList read-alike: Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
Niffenegger, Audrey
Life Out of Order
Hanover Square Press
10/6/2026
Alba’s life is definitely out of order as she journeys into the future. She is the daughter of Henry of The Time Traveler’s Wife fame, but this book does not rely on your reading of the previous book.The time traveling premise has the same internal logic as before and will send your mind spinning . Pro tip: Keep an eye on the dates and ages!
--Clare Etheridge, Brentwood Public Library, PA
NoveList read-alike: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Robinson, Rioghnach
Bad Words
St. Martin's Press
10/6/2026
A feud between an author and the literary critic who wrote devastating pans of his novels goes viral, but their animosity and banter starts to take on a flirtatious tone. This bookish tale takes a nuanced look at criticism, online culture, and intention versus impact, all grounded in rich, real emotions. A swoony, enemies-to-lovers slow-burn romance set amid a snowy NYC.
--Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, IL
NoveList read-alike: The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Schoenbrun, Jane
Public Access Afterworld: A Novel
Hogarth
10/27/2026
A relentlessly strange but totally compelling journey into "Public Access Afterworld," the source of peculiar TV broadcasts that foster dangerous obsessions in all who see them. Readers who like their horror with a SF twist will devour this one.
--Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign Public Library, IL
NoveList read-alike: Mister Magic by Kiersten White
Board Bonus pick:
Iijima, Brenda
Shelter is Necessary for Existence: A Novel
Two Dollar Radio
10/27/2026
Notable Nonfiction:
Black, Riley
Tyrant Lizard Queen: The Love, Life, and Terror of Earth’s Greatest Carnivore
The LibraryReads Hall of Fame designation honors authors who have had multiple titles appear on the monthly LibraryReads list since 2013. When their third title places on the list via library staff votes, the author moves into the Hall of Fame. Click here to see the Hall of Fame authors organized in alpha order. Please note, the current year's Hall of Fame lists are pulle
Travis Baldree, Samuel Sattin (Adapted by), Shanti Rittgers (Illustrated by), Sarah Webb (Illustrated by)
Becky Spratford [MLIS] is a Librarian in Illinois specializing in serving patrons ages 13 and up. She trains library staff all over the world on how to match books with readers through the local public library. She runs the critically acclaimed RA training blog RA for All, writes reviews for Booklist and a Horror review column for Library Journal. Becky has been an elected Library Trustee and a former Board member for both the Reaching Across Illinois Library System and the Illinois Library Association. Known for her work with Horror readers. Becky is the author of three text books for library workers and the Locus Award nominated and Bram Stoker Award winning Why I Love Horror [Saga Press, 2025]. Becky was named one of the Chicago Tribune’s Chicagoans of the Year in 2025. She is on the Shirley Jackson Award Advisory Board and is a proud member of the Horror Writers Association, currently serving as the Association’s Secretary and Co-Chair of their Libraries Committee. You can follow Becky on Bluesky @raforall.bsky.social.
